Thursday 2 July 2009

US non-farm payrolls: Employers cut 467,000 jobs in Jun

So, given the government stimulus so far, it looks like employment is still weakening and consumer deleveraging, crimping demand.
Reflation efforts by governments worldwide helped boost risky assets such as commodities and equities in the last 3 months and in the process trashed treasuries and bonds.
10-year US benchmark rates rose from 2% at the start of 2009 to a peak of 4% last month, despite the Fed announcing plans to maintain its purchase plans.
Popular belief has it that the negative sentiment is drawn from the potential indigestion of a trillion more dollars of issuances bound for the doorsteps of willing investors in the coming year.

Scenario:
Say Bernanke's "green-shoots" of recovery was stunned by the high oil prices and the economic recovery widely expected by the end of this year doesn't materialise, we could once again face the swings of the oil price cycle and see bond yields revisit the 2% levels.

Eric Tan, London

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